Unnamed tenant — likely LA Fitness — gets approval Plan and Zoning permit

BusinessNational Health Club Chain to Occupy West Farms Center’s Old Borders Space
Unnamed tenant — likely LA Fitness — gets approval from Farmington Plan and Zoning panel.

 The group, which recently saw Nordstorm Rack open its doors to much fanfare, has now filled every storefront in the 186,000-square-foot plaza — except for the old Borders space, which stands empty and dilapidated, in contrast to façade improvements that were made across the rest of the shopping center.

Representatives for Kimco and the unnamed national tenant were before the Farmington Town Plan and Zoning Commission Tuesday night, and gained approval for their plan to bring in the health club and renovate the façade.

The exterior will match the rest of the plaza, which was resurfaced and given a uniform look with solid-colored awnings and architectural features like gooseneck lighting in a recent overhaul.

“We’re showing the façade will blend seamlessly and match the color palette of what’s currently in place,” Kimco spokesman Nick Brown said.

One addition would be a kind of crown structure on the top corner of the old Borders. While commissioners said the feature would not exactly match the rest of the plaza, James O’Sullivan, representing the tenant, said the crown feature helps people easily identify the gym’s brand.

O’Sullivan described it as a “steel metal crown, galvanized and painted white.”

Commissioners noted that the feature can be seen on a nearby location of the chain on Route 6 on the Farmington/Bristol line, with the implication that it will be an LA Fitness.

Inside, the 34,000-square-foot gym will offer the works, he said. He rattled off a list of the features: a kids club, a juice bar, three-lane lap pool, a spa Jacuzzi, a cardio area, circuit area, aerobics studio, spinning studio, basketball court, free weights area and locker rooms each with its own sauna.

“By and large, we’re going to try to reuse the existing structure, reskin it and dress it up,” O’Sullivan said.

Once the gym moves into the Borders space, the plaza will be completely rented, mostly with big-name, national brands.

“It’s really come a long way over the past year in terms of re-tenanting, specifically Nordstorm Rack and Panera Bread, which is opening later this year, and architectural improvements. The façade changes are now mostly complete. This is the last and final phase — re-tenanting the former Border’s space,” Brown said.